42 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 22, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
black history month
EASCO president loves life, works
hard & believes in opportunity
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com
@QNS
At 91, Arlington Leon
Eastmond Jr. is the president
and CEO of A.L. Eastmond and
Sons (EASCO Boiler Corp.),
the largest black-owned, boiler
manufacturing business in New
York City.
At the young age of 12,
Eastmond started to work with
his father, Arlington Leon
Eastmond Sr., who founded
EASCO Boiler Corp. in 1926.
Aft er serving in the military as
a young adult, Eastmond found
himself selling boilers for the
company.
“I’ve been working almost
every day of my adult life,”
Eastmond said. “I went out as
a salesman aft er my time in the
service. Do you remember that
movie ‘Guess Who’s Coming
to Dinner’? I used to knock on
people’s doors and say, ‘Guess
who’s here to sell you a boiler?’”
By 1957, Eastmond was promoted
to a major management
role at EASCO handling fi nancing,
product development, personnel,
marketing, sales and
over-all production.
Eastmond moved EASCO
to the Hunts Point Industrial
Market in the South Bronx in
1972. At that time, very few businesses
ventured to this area, but
Eastmond’s keen foresight saw
success for the company in this
new location. Despite the fi nancial
setback created by the move,
Eastmond oversaw the manufacturing
of the historic, high-quality
“Federal Boiler” in 1974,
which would later become the
“Eastmond Federal Boiler Line.”
Eastmond is responsible
for the growth of EASCO’S
impressive business portfolio,
which includes Th e Trump
Organization, Yankee Stadium,
the School Construction
Authority, the New York
City Housing Authority and
the Department of Housing
Preservation and Development,
among others.
Beyond the business, Eastmond
is a father of three, a grandfather
of 10 and a great-grandfather of
14. He has had his hands in making
sure that young people of
color are fi nding success. A fi rm
believer that education is the
key to success, Eastmond established
a foundation in his father’s
honor which celebrates academic
success by recognizing outstanding
students, teachers and principals
who overcame numerous
challenges in the learning environment
and made great strides.
Eastmond has donated books
and materials to neighboring
schools to help underprivileged
students excel in their academics.
“The minority community
needs so much,” Eastmond
said. “It’s important to encourage
education and contribute to
education. I try to help everywhere
I can.”
At his age, there isn’t much
that Eastmond hasn’t seen.
As someone who has worked
almost every day of his adult
life, he sees the value of people
in business and the world going
beyond race and age.
“All I ask for is a day’s work
for a day’s pay,” Eastmond said.
“You can’t do anything by yourself.
People shouldn’t be thrown
out when they’re older; they
have the wisdom. Anyone can
work here.”
To help unemployed and
underemployed citizens of the
South Bronx, Eastmond created
EASCO’s Ex-Off ender Work
Program, which not only contributed
to participants’ professional
development but also
give them a positive outlook
on life.
Th roughout his life, Eastmond
has seen the evolution of
America as a nation. During his
life, not only has he seen everything
from horse and wagon
transportation to the fi rst moon
landing, he’s seen the country
grow and change from a segregated
nation to where we stand
today.
“Black people have been a factor
in the building of America
through history,” Eastmond
said. “Th ings have improved a
great deal in America. We’ve
come a long way. But if America
disappears, we’ll never see it
again, so we have to care for one
another.”
For Eastmond, this life has
been a gift and he appreciates
that he has it.
“If you don’t have any soul or
compassion for life, you’re not
going to feel life,” Eastmond
said. “God gave me this life to
live and to help, and I’m happy
for it.”